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- The different schools of Vedanta
Having discussed the scope of Vedantic study, it is time to turn to some important schools, which have shaped Vedanta. Traditionally, Vedanta has been distinguished from other schools on the basis of complete allegiance to Vedas and acceptance of a Supreme Being. The schools of Vedanta have had to dismantle other schools such as Sankhya, Yoga, Nyaya, Vaisheshika, Mimamsa, Jainism, Buddhism, etc., by means of dialectical works of extremely high standard. Furthermore, the schools have been expected to write commentaries on at least three sources, viz., Upanishads, Brahma-Sutra-s, and Bhagavad Gita, collectively referred to as Pra-sthaana Trayi. Advaita (rigorous monism), Vishistadvaita (qualified/pan-organistic monism), and Dvaita (rigorous dualism) have been the most influential schools of Vedanta with numerous commentaries on the texts and extensive body of dialectics to ascertain the truth. Shuddha Advaita (pure monism), Dvaita-Advaita (differencecum-identity) and Achintya Bheda-Abheda (inconceivable difference-cum-identity) have been the other popular schools. In the above-mentioned cases, the nomenclature (of the schools) is based on the relationship between Brahman and Jiva. In Advaita, the relation is one of identity. Vishistadvaita speaks of difference between the two with the relationship depicted as soul-body between Brahman and Jiva. Dvaita, too, regards the relation to be one of difference but accepts the relation of object-image.
- FAQ'S regarding Homeopathy
Does Homoeopathy contain steroids? No, it doesn't contain anything in material dose. This is a serious allegation of distracters of Homoeopathy. But you have to understand that Homoeopathic Medicines are not crude and there is no way to wrap up a steroid in it. Moreover any substance when potentized loses its original qualities and it cannot have any side effects of steroids as expected. It is very slow acting, isn't it? No, it can act very quickly and serves life in many instances especially true in these corona times. All diseases are not of same variety. Acute diseases or fevers, asthmatic episodes etc are to be taken care of immediately and Homoeopathy does that. Fevers will subside overnight or in a couple of days according to a person's immunity, cold or cough taking 2-5 days for cure, but asthma or knee pain may need few months for complete cure although relief sets within a few days. They say it is very safe and no side effects, is that true? Let us talk about the word 'Safe'. Yes it is absolutely safe for even unborn babies, pregnant women and in fact is most recommended medicine for weaklings. But side effects depend on a few things. If you took it from a physician and stuck to his orders then fine. If you take medicines on the Internet gyan may become even injurious overtime. If you repeat doses just because the medicines remaining are wasted or for long periods of time without further consultation then you are inviting trouble. Does Homoeopathy Cure all diseases ? No, Homoeopathy never cures any disease on its own but induces one's own system to fight the disease that is, it increases immunity of a person. So if a disease goes away the person has good immunity and received help. So the type of person's strength matters more than the type of disease. Some common conditions may fail to respond at times but yes we can very well treat all kinds of diseases, since curability of that person can be ascertained only after treating him. It cannot be taken along with allopathic drugs, is it true? No, both can be taken with advantage for the patient but loss for Homoeopathy. Homeopathic medicine mimics the disease causing agent and the defence system is activated. The effect of the medicine fades away over time but the defence system kills the virus or bacteria and rectifies all problems and makes us disease free. Because Antibiotics nullify the effect of Homoeopathic remedies and treatment may have to be restructured. So, my advice to my patients is continue all your diabetic, hypertension, epilepsy even thyroid and sleeping pills unless it has been tapered by your respective Physician with caution. But do not start treatment with an allopath for skin trouble, Respiratory trouble, fevers and other mild problems without consulting your Homoeopath.
- Getting rid of fear and worries
Nowadays, unfortunately, we spend whole life in fear and worries. Right from birth to death, we fear and worry for everything. Schoolwork, home work, exams, good marks, rank, college admission, a good job, good spouse, safe delivery, good children, their schooling, studies, job, marriage, grandchildren, life of grandchildren everything, is a matter of fear or worry to us. This has become a chain, like waves of the sea that never calm down and keep arising again and again. Above all, death of self, death of relatives, fear for survival and many more are our concerns. Unfortunately, being bad role models, we transfer all these fear and worries to our next generation as well. We speak about Vedās, we speak Bhagavad Gita, we know that we are all immortals because jīva svarūpa has no birth and death, yet we worry for everything, death being the highest of fear and worries. This is because we think this mortal body is self. If a simple solution is asked to get rid of fear and worries, we can suggest the Upadeśa of Yama from the Bhāgavata as below. This should be possibly one simple yet tough to follow solution for any kind of fear and worry in our life. "aho vayaṁ dhanyatamā yadatra tyaktāḥ pitṛbhyāṁ na vicintayāmaḥ। abhakṣyamāṇā abalā vṛkādibhiḥ sa rakṣitā rakṣati yo hi garbhe।। (Bhagavatam 7-2-38) Lord Yama who assumed the form of an orphan boy, came along with his friends and said to the weeping widows of a dead King, "We are indeed blessed, because though we are abandoned by our parents, we are not feeling sorry. Though we are helpless, we have not been eaten by the wolves. The God who shields us in the womb is our saviour, where ever we are. " pathi cyutaṁ tiṣṭhati diṣṭarakṣitaṁ gṛhe sthitaṁ tadvihataṁ vinaśyati। jīvatyanātho’pi tadīkṣito vane gṛhe’pi gupto’sya hato na jīvati।। (Bhagavatam 7-2-40) Lord Yama continued, "Anything that is under the protective care of God may remain in the same place even when dropped on the way. Anything, even when secured in the house may get lost if God thinks so. Likewise, a person living in the jungle is alive when protected by Him, whereas a person protected by relatives at home may die if he is destined by Him." In conclusion, everything happens as per Hari Samkalpa. Just accept this one fact and we have unshakeable trust in Hari, to be happy and free of fear and worries forever. That doesn’t mean inaction anyway. However, we shall bear in mind that all our actions are done as directed by Hari and the fruits of those actions are also granted by Hari. This one thought which is 100% fact can give us a big relief and confidence in life.
- Astrology- A common man's guide part 3
There were 18 ‘Siddhanta’ (schools of thought) in Indian Space Science. They were perceived by 18 Rishis. So, they were all named after them. They are: ‘JananI janma soukhyAnAm vardhanI kula sampadAM padavI pUrva punyAnAM vikhyate janma patrikA ||’ This is the first sloka penned before beginning to document the calculations of any horoscope. The horoscope is written to assist in the overcoming effects of future happenings with right predictions with regards to birth, happiness, lineage, wealth, position and so on. The horoscope, like a friend, helps in overcoming the effect of good and bad influences of the past karmas. It is like a minister guiding the king in the right path and is a boat which helps people struggling in the ocean of ‘samsaara’ to cross it. Human birth is a result of ‘Karma.’ Astrology clearly states that all his efforts are under the control of ‘vidhi’ (fate). Based on time, place, situations, caste, religion, colour, logic, and ‘shruthi’, a competent astrologer, will be able to predict with great accuracy. Also, they can pin point a particular happening at a particular time. This can be illustrated with an example. King Vikramadithya’s assembly had several astrologers. Among them ‘Mihirar’ was highly knowledgeable and he possessed perfect mathematical skills. He was not only looked upon by the king but also by everyone. Once the king was curious to know the future of his little son. He asked all the astrologers to predict the child’s future. Everyone according to their skills predicted good future for the boy except that he would face little troubles at the age of eighteen. Mihirar remained silent without saying anything. The king questioned Mihirar’s silence and asked him to say something like the others. Mihirar replied that it is always easy to predict and speak out about good results. However, astrologers should be cautious to talk about negative results. The king was curious to know what Mihirar would predict and so were others, eager to listen to his predictions. Finally, when Mihirar spoke, not only the king but the entire assembly were shocked. He predicted, ‘Oh king, our prince will meet his end due to a ‘Varaha’ (pig) thirty seconds after he turns eighteen. Also, this is due to his past karmas and there is no ‘prayashchita’ for him to overcome this.' Everyone consoled the king and said that Mihirar’s predictions could be overcome with intelligent planning. Each one tried to suggest various solutions to the problem. A separate palace was built for the prince and was secured with several guards. No animal was allowed near the palace. The day arrived. The king asked Mihirra to recheck his predictions. However, Mihirar stood firm on his prediction. There was constant update about the prince’s health that he was doing fine. The specific time arrived and yet the soldiers said that the prince was healthy without any problem. However, Mihirar refused to believe this update. He was sure that the prince would have died by then. The king, along with his ministers went to the palace. The prince was found dead with blood stains, on the terrace of the building. This is what had happened… The place which was built with all facilities had the royal symbol of the ‘Pig’ fixed on the top of the building. It suddenly broke and fell on the prince who had gone to the terrace for a walk which caused his instant death. it is beyond anyone’s imagination that a ‘pig’s’ figurine could cause his death. In spite of the grief, the king in appreciation of ‘Mihirar’s astrological calculations awarded him with the title ‘Varaha Mihirar’. Varaha Mihirar is known as the father of astrology and has contributed several works to this field. Astrology clearly states that - ‘Fate’ cannot be overcome with intelligence because ‘Intelligence’ itself will get prompted appropriately to meet the ‘Fate!'
- The study of vedantic philosophy
Vedantic philosophy is to be studied in an organised manner. It can be divided into several branches; for convenience, however, we divide the same into about seven branches. Pramaana-vichaara deals primarily with knowledge. This includes the following topics: What is knowledge? Does knowledge have form? What are valid/right sources of knowledge? When is knowledge liable to err? How can we validate the knowledge obtained. Tattva-vichaara deals primarily with real entities. This includes the following topics: What is reality? Is the nature of reality monistic, dualistic, or pluralistic? Are there unreal objects? What is the relationship between substrate/substance (say, pot) and its attributes (colour, shape, etc.)? What is the relationship between material cause (say, mud) and its effect (say, pot)? Ishwara-vichaara deals with general theology. This includes the following topics: Does a Supreme Being exist? How is His existence determined? What is His nature? What are His functions? What is His relationship vis-à-vis other sentient entities? Jagad-vichaara deals with the universe, space, time, and the like. This includes the following topics: What is the nature of this universe? Where, when, and how did it come into being? What is the nature of space? Jiva-vichaara deals with the conception of souls. This includes the following topics: What is the nature of the soul? Is consciousness intrinsic or extrinsic to it? What is the nature of bondage of souls? Is there a solitary soul, or are there many souls? If the souls are many, are their natures alike or different? Saadhana-vichaara deals with the general means to attain liberation (Moksha). This includes the following topics:What are the Sadhana-s to be performed?Is there any inter-relation between different means (like Bhakti, karma, and jnana)? Moksha-vichaara deals with the state of Moksha. This includes the following topics: What is the nature of liberation? Does the soul survive this state? What is the magnitude of bliss experienced? FEATURES OF VEDANTA PHILOSOPHY Having had a glimpse into the background of the schools that shape Vedanta, it is necessary to understand some striking features of Vedanta. Existence of trans-empirical entities such as God, soul, unseen merit, de-merit, heaven, hell, liberation, etc., are not accepted based on personal experience or inference (reasoning) unsupported by a valid source of knowledge. All such entities are accepted only on the basis of Vedas and ancillary scriptures. The ancillary scriptures are also accepted in so far as they do not contradict Vedas; similarly, any spiritual personal experience must also conform to the Vedas to be worthy of acceptance. Traditionally, it is accepted that the soul undertakes several births to attain liberation. The spiritual aspirant must, therefore, undertake his spiritual activities sincerely to achieve the same. Vedic knowledge has been passed on from Purvaacharya-s to modern-day guru-s. It is the understanding of every school of Vedanta that the Purvaacharya-s have represented their school faithfully. Therefore, in the event of doubt concerning any aspect of the philosophy, the words of the Purvaacharya-s are to be consulted and deemed final. Some examples of Dvaita Purvaacharya-s include Madhva, JayaTirtha, Vyasaraja Tirtha, etc. The students of Vedanta are encouraged to critique doctrines of other faiths to help determine the right path to liberation. Mutual respect must be accorded to the opponent (by not indulging in ad hominem), and the doctrines alone must be criticised.
- A brief history of Hindu Darshana
Francoise Voltaire - “I am convinced that everything has come down to us from the banks of the Ganga” Pythagoras landed on the harbour of Samos, in the 5th Century BCE, after a long absence from his homeland. Sporting a long beard and white robe, he was an immediate object of amusement to the locals. The tall and handsome Pythagoras wore a strange smile and illumination on his face. A feast was prepared to welcome the prodigal son, which included fish and meat, usually reserved only for special occasions. To the dismay of the town, Pythagoras declared that he had turned vegetarian. He also declared that Punar Janma exists (metempsychosis). Thus, laying foundation for a new stream of conscious thought in western philosophy. Scholars do postulate that Pythagoras learnt this experiential truth from the lanes of Kanchipuram. One would wonder, if the lessons in geometry learnt on Apastamba Sulabha Sutras (which predates the pythogorean theorem) from the Brahmins of Arakkonam, were later introduced to the western world. Young readers are encouraged to explore the Sulabha Sutras and the vast mathematical history of our practises. The Hindu religion has never stopped diversifying and sharing knowledge. Every millennium, Hindu Acharyas have perceived truth in a different way. Hindus welcome different paths to the same goal, ultimate truth. Historically, we have had innumerable Darshana (Perceived Experience of Truth) put forward by our great Acharyas. Around twenty of those Darshanas’ have had significant influence on the way Hindus chose to attain the ultimate realisation. Prior to at least 1500 BCE, Kapilacharya, the father of modern psychology, introduced Sankhya. It was Acharya Kapila’s work that dominated Hindu thought for over two Millenia. Gautama, Kanda Kashyapa and Patanjali did engage in different perceptions with the ultimate reality, producing the Nyaya, Vaisesika and Yoga Darshana. Accompanying this were flourishing thought from great philosophers, female and male alike, throughout. Maitreyi, Gargi, Yagnavalkya, Badarayana Vyasa and many others. The various Darshana and their proponents had one thing in common – Pramana (Epistemological evidence) based on Vedas. The Vedas and the associated framework remain a guardrail for Hindus like a strong astivara (foundation). These schools were then called Astika. In parallel, several enlightened teachers coming out of the Hindu ecosystem, questioned the firmament of the Vedas. They relied more on individual experience and intellectual reasoning, without having to validate with the vast body of knowledge accumulated via pramana oriented Darshana. This gave rise to Nastika (not relying on the Vedic foundation) Darshana – Chaarvaka, Boudha and Jaina were a few prominent Nastika Darshana. Chaarvaka is closely aligned to modern rational thinking, where the material existence matters more that anything else. Jaina believe the material universe to be eternal and not created by the ultimate reality. The Jaina’s also held Vedas as of human origins and discarded it Apauresheya nature, thus declaring it nonfoundational text. The most prominent of these teachings were those of a prince, named Sidhartha. He attained realisation and declared that at the end of it all there is nothing to be found, its just Shunyata. The second round of Hindu renaissance began then. In the span of mere five hundred years three masters, our beloved Acharyas established a path for the Hindus to follow. They provided vedic pramana to validate the Hindu thought. First to start off was Abhinava Sankara (attributed as Adi Sankara by modern writers, while the original Adi Shankara existed thousands of years ago), born in Kerala in the latter part of first millennium CE. Acharya Shankara held Shastraartha (debating the true meaning of the shastra) with Jain, Budha and Purva Mimamsa scholars all over India. There was only one condition, whoever wins will accept the others path. Acharya Sankara won all along and amassed a huge ‘Ghar Wapsi’ to Hindu fold from Buddhist and Jain folk, without any violence or coercion. Acharya Sankara turned the Nastika Shunyata on its head and presented an Astika Advaita. Acharya Ramanuja then qualified Acharya Sankara’s Nirvishesha Advaita with Vishishta Advaita. Acharya Ramanuja attributed Kalyana Guna to Sankara’s Nirguna Brahma. He amassed a great following and initiated the resurgence of Bhakti. Acharya Madhva vehemently dismissed Acharya Sankara’s observation that Para Brahman was nirvisesha or even possessing only Kalyana Guna. He established the ultimate reality in a pedestal at an arm’s length from the Jiva and Jada. This article will not engage in a detailing or present a comparative study of these Sampradaya as it would take several books, not pages, to even scratch the surface of each. However, it can be noted that there is a lot of misconception about each by the followers of the other. Leaving that aside, what is common among the Acharya and their Darshana. In short, what commonly binds us Astika Hindus together? The three Acharya’s, though vehemently disagreeing on nature of truth, have never been shy of a good debate. When they debated, they relied on the same three Prasthana (Established Truth) and their expositions. Their parampara are all firmly grounded in the trifold Prasthana of Bhagavat Gita, Badarayana Sutra and Upanishad. We, all Astika, are all bound by this sacred bond. We have more in common than we realise. For the materialists amongst us, there is a treasure trove of knowledge in these that help us be a better person and innumerable hypothesis that will help develop our scientific thought process. Showing mutual respect to our Acharyas encourages the vastness of learning. Over the last one thousand years, there has been a slowing down of philosophical growth within Hindu thought due to continuous invasions, especially from philosophies which does not believe in debate. Hindu philosophy accepts multiple paths to the ultimate reality. Let us live by that norm and continue to support all Sampradayas and their many derivatives that form the pillars of modern Hindu thought. Until a new Acharya emerges and interprets Vedic thought to offer another Sampradaya, lets’ continue the Shastrartha.
- Management lessons from lord Hanuman part 2
In the previous issue, we saw how skillful Lord Hanuman was in communication which was well appreciated by Sri Rama himself. In this article we further dwell deep into Hanuman’s excellent communication skills in different situations he comes across. Hanuman gets introduced to all of us in the Ramayana in the Kishkinda Kanda. Hanuman’s eyes get filled with tears when he learns that Rama and Lakshmana are in search of Sita. Sita was left unguarded after Rama went after the golden deer (Mareecha in disguise) and kills him. When Rama and Lakshmana come back to the cottage she is found missing. Hanuman tells Rama that Sugriva is the ruler and his elder brother Vali treats Sugriva as his enemy. Vali also had taken away Sugriva’s wife Ruma. Hanuman once again proves his communication skills, when he introduces Rama to Sugriva as an embodiment of truth, courage and divinity. "Rama is soliciting your friendship in search of Sita." Sugriva promises all help and support in searching Sita. Rama in turn promises to kill Vali and restore the kingdom to Sugriva. Vali is killed by an arrow of Rama during the duel between the two brothers. Again it was left to Hanuman to pacify Tara (wife of Vali) and Hanuman exhorts her to think about the future of her son Angadha. Lord Hanuman after crossing the sea finally enters the Ashoka Grove and sees Sita is being annoyed by Rakshasis coercing her to accept Ravana. It is in Ashoka Grove that Hanuman meets Sita for his first time. After awaiting for the opportune moment, with excellent communication skills he assures Sita that he is a messenger of Lord Rama who has come in search of her. Hanuman narrates the story of Rama and shows her ring that could assure Sita that indeed he is a messenger of Lord Sriram. It is beautifully narrated in the Sundara Khanda. After meeting Sita, Hanuman wants to communicate his arrival at Srilanka by destroying the Ashoka Grove and also kills Aksha son of Ravana. Hanuman was very keen to meet Ravana who abducted Sita clandestinely. Hanuman strategically surrenders to Indrajit’s (son of Ravana) arrow. Hanuman sets an example of how one should approach any situation in life. He meets Ravana for the first time sitting on his throne having ten heads and twenty arms. Ravana’s Ministers ask Hanuman, “Why have you destroyed the Ashoka Grove”? Hanuman proudly introduces himself that, he is Rama's messenger and had come to free Sita from Ravana’s clutches. He also reprimands Ravana for his ghastly act of besieging the wife of another and consequences of unrighteousness follows. Hearing Hanuman speak this way, Ravana gets very angry and orders to kill him. Later on Hanuman’s tail is set on fire and at the right moment he escapes and leaps from building to building; setting them on fire leaving a trail of destruction. Hanuman is relieved to see that Sita has not been impacted by the fire set by him. Hanuman successfully returns back from Lanka and narrates his meeting of Sita and all that he had done while in Lanka to Angada and Jambavan.
- Yoga
Yoga asks us to consider that we are not only solely the physical body, and not only the thoughts and emotions we experience on a daily basis. But a composite of the finite and the infinite. Woven into that fabric of many layers of being the yogi’s called these layers “Koshas”. Taittriyo-upanisat has presented this systematically. Man has 5 major sheaths of existence. Annamaya Kosa: Every thing in the universe is sustained by Anna and everything dissolves into Anna. This matter based aspect our physical personality is called Annamaya kosa. It consists of five elements namely Earth (Prithvi), Water (Jala), Fire (Agni), Wind (Vayu) and Space (Akasa). This is normally nourished by the gross food that we consume. Pranamaya Kosa: Prana is the basic fabric of this universe, both inside and outside our body. A uniform harmonious flow of prana to each and every cell of the Annamaya kosa keeps them alive and healthy. Manomaya Kosa: Mind, which is defined as a conglomeration of thoughts responds to the input through sense organs. For example when you see a big red flower your eyes send a image to the brain and the mind perceives it as a beautiful rose. Within the next fraction of a second your memory deciphers that it is as a very rare variety of rose which you have wanted to see badly. The thought circulates in your mind and Citta which soon goes on to make you feel “Wow it is so beautiful, I love it, I want it “, this component of the Manomaya kosa in which this rapid recycling takes place and gathers momentum is called the “Emotions”. This is characterised by feeling such as likes or dislikes, love or hate. It is this emotion that is the root cause of all human joy and distress. When the emotions become powerful, they start governing our actions against what is right. This going against cosmic laws leads to imbalances called Adhi or stress. Long standing Adhis get pushed into Pranamaya and Annamaya kosa causing Vyadhi's. Vijnanamaya Kosa: Vijnanamaya kosa is the fourth layer of our existence. The conscience within that continually guides us to do a thing or not to do a thing is the Vijnanamaya kosa. It is this component of the mind that has developed in human race greatly that differentiates man from animals. The Vijnanamaya kosa is the discriminating faculty. Anandamaya Kosa: The knowledge of the final truth ‘Ananda’, is the basic stuff of this universe from which everything has been created. This is called Ananadamaya kosa, the bliss layer of our existence. This is the most subtle aspect of our existence which is devoid of any form of emotions, a state of total silence – a state of complete harmony and perfect health.
- Special features of Vedanta
Having had a glimpse into the background of the schools that shape Vedanta, it is necessary to understand some striking features of Vedanta. Existence of trans-empirical entities such as God, soul, unseen merit, demerit, heaven, hell, liberation, etc., are not accepted based on personal experience or inference (reasoning) unsupported by a valid source of knowledge. All such entities are accepted only on the basis of Vedas and ancillary scriptures. The ancillary scriptures are also accepted in so far as they do not contradict Vedas; similarly, any spiritual personal experience must also conform to the Vedas to be worthy of acceptance. Traditionally, it is accepted that the soul undertakes several births to attain liberation. The spiritual aspirant must, therefore, undertake his spiritual activities sincerely to achieve the same. Vedic knowledge has been passed on from Purvaacharya-s to modern-day guru-s. It is the understanding of every school of Vedanta that the Purvaacharya-s have represented their school faithfully. Therefore, in the event of doubt concerning any aspect of the philosophy, the words of the Purvaacharya-s are to be consulted and deemed final. Some examples of Dvaita Purvaacharya-s include Madhva, JayaTirtha, Vyasaraja Tirtha, etc. The students of Vedanta are encouraged to critique doctrines of other faiths to help determine the right path to liberation. Mutual respect must be accorded to the opponent (by not indulging in ad hominem), and the doctrines alone must be criticized. DVAITA: OTHER NOMENCLATURE Dvaita, or Bheda, represents distinction. The term ‘Dvaita’, popularly applied to the school, refers to an eternal difference between the Supreme Lord and the individual soul. The doctrine has been translated as ‘Rigorous Dualism’. Furthermore, the school is referred to by various titles. Some of these are as follows: Dvaita/Dvaita vada: This school is best known by this name. Dvaita implies difference, and this (title) is differentiated from (those of) other schools on the basis of relationship between Brahman (Lord) and Jiva (individual soul). Dvaita implies eternal distinction between the Lord and individual soul, and, since this distinction is eternal, it is never transcended. In the west, it is common to understand the term ‘dualism’ to mean two irreducible and independent entities. In Dvaita, while the two entities in consideration, viz., the Lord and the soul, are indeed irreducible, the Lord alone can be said to be independent. The soul depends on the Lord for its existence, consciousness, knowledge, and activity. Other references include Dvaita to imply distinction between the Lord and matter. Tattvavada: In terms of popularity in naming of this school, Tattvavada ranks second, finishing inferior only to Dvaita. This name was propounded in contrast to Mayavada, better known as Advaita, which recognised only one reality, i.e., Brahman. Tattva means real, and Dvaita propounds that are other real entities apart from Brahman such as soul, matter, space, time, etc.; moreover, differences amongst these entities are also real. Bheda vada: The term ‘Bheda’ also implies difference and is, therefore, a synonymn of Dvaita. Bimba-Pratibimba vada: Bimba and Pratibimba mean object and reflection respectively. It is natural that reflection depends on an object. This is the relationship between Lord and soul. Just as the reflection is dependent on the object, the soul, too, is dependent on the Lord. Furthermore, a reflection is destroyed owing to any one of the following reasons: one, if the object is destroyed; two, if the reflecting medium is destroyed; three, if the object is moved away from the reflection. Since the Lord is the object (the Lord being indestructible), the object cannot be destroyed; since the soul is itself the medium, the reflecting medium cannot be destroyed; since the Lord is all-pervading, the object can never be moved away from the reflecting medium. Therefore, this relationship between object and reflection is said to be eternal. Svatantra-Asvatantra Vada: Under ontology, Acharya Madhva classifies entities as Independent and dependent. Brahman alone comes under the former category, while all the other entities come under the latter category. Given such an emphatic pronouncement of the independence of the Lord (along with the dependence of all the other entities on the Lord), this doctrine is appropriately termed Svatantra-Asvatantra Vada. Madhva Siddhanta: Another popular designation applied to Dvaita in commemoration of Acharya Madhva, who revived the doctrine and laid a strong foundation (later on built upon by luminaries such as Jaya Tirtha, Vyasaraja Tirtha, etc.) for the same. Poorna Prajna Darshana: Poorna Prajna is another name conferred on Acharya Madhva. Dvaita school goes by this name in the famous work ‘Sarva Darshana Sangraha’ authored by Vidyaranya. The fact that Vidyaranya deemed it fit to review the doctrines of Dvaita school go a long way in asserting that Dvaita school had become a force to reckon with during the former’s time period. Svatantra Adviteeya Vada: This was coined by Dr. BNK Sharma, and this title is said to have had the sanction of the famous saint Sri Satyadhyana Tirtha. Dr. Sharma feels that this designation provides the highest reach of the doctrine as expounded by Acharya Madhva. The term emphasises the independence of the Lord; furthermore, the fact that He has no peers or superiors is also highlighted very effectively. Poorna Brahma Vada: This was coined by Alur Venkata Rao. According to the author, the concept of ‘Poorna Brahman’ forms the central theme of Madhva’s doctrine. The central doctrine is expressed as follows: the Lord is a complete/perfect being, possessing auspicious qualities that are infinite in number and extent. He is devoid of gross or material qualities. There is qualified identity between substance and attributes. His Avataras (manifestations) are infinite in number and are not different from the Moola (source, viz., Vishnu) in any respect.
- Changing Western Thinking
Dr V.B Aarthi who is a scholar in Samskritam and Indology is well known for her fields of academic research as well as behavioural and soft-skills training. She is the Founder and Chairperson of Vibhu Academy and centre for Soft Skills Training and Indology. With a qualification of MA and PhD in Samskritam and Music and Training in Lay Counselling, she has taught Samskritam and Aesthetic in various universities. Dr Arathi is also an orator, writer, columnist, singer and skilled in poetry and painting. The concluding ceremony of Adamaru Paryaya 'Vishwarpanam' was inaugurated on the 5th of December at Naraharitheertha Vedike of Rajangana in Sri Krishna Matha. The senior pontiff of Adamaru Matha, Sri Sri Vishwapriyatheertha Swamiji inaugurated this concluding ceremony. During this ceremony, various talks and lectures surrounding religion, Hindu education, ancient Hindu civilisation, current political changes as well as Sanatana dharma practises was held from the 5th of December to the 26th of December. One of these talks involved Dr Arathi's discourse regarding changes in western thinking. 'What is known as today's western thinking is actually not western thinking but is the thinking of so called Abrahamic thinkers who have destroyed the local Aboriginal/Pagan/Mayan etc cultures around the world. These Abrahamic thinkers have established ego-based cultures in which it vehemently tries to destroy all other cultures except their own culture. These thinkers persuade others to follow their own culture and try to manipulate and convert others mostly by hook and crook. Two main Abrahamic religions came into existence which started genocide to destroy almost completely all other cultures by coercing, enticing, terrorizing and killing except Vedic based cultures as well as Chinese cultures which they were not able to destroy so much like they destroyed other cultures. Western culture is nothing but completely inclined to 'bhoga' whereas vedic culture is based upon 'bhoga' and 'yoga' and provides guidelines about how to balance 'bhoga' and 'yoga' for one and all. We still have people in Bharatha following the simple living and high thinking which leads to 'yoga' and 'bhoga' based culture rather than just a 'bhoga' based culture as external and internal of human beings is taken care of in the basics of vedic culture. Vedic culture also extends beyond human beings and tries its best to take care of all other life forms as well as the environment. Efficiently using resources in need is considered as yoga where care and respect is given to each of the substance as Sri Lakshmi with reverence., whereas overusing resources more than what is needed and consuming without any reverence is the type of bhoga followed tyically by western cultures. Somehow people seem to think that if we follow culture we will not be able to enjoy anything. Actually speaking, a person who is happy is typically one who tries to live with minimum required materialistic items. The base for Abrahamic cultures suggests that Baghaavan first created male and from part of male created female and all other things in this world for sensual enjoyment of male. Respecting each and every living and non-living thing with utmost care by seeing God in everything is the key practice of Bharathia culture. That is one of the reasons why Bharathia culture has the habit of getting forgiveness from the bhumi maata with the following sloka at everyday morning while one gets up from the bed: समुद्रवसने देवि पर्वतस्तनमण्डले । वि ष्णुपत्नि नमस्तुभ्यं पा दस्पर्शं क्षमस्वमे ॥ Samudra-Vasane Devi Parvata-Stana-Mannddale | Vissnnu-Patni Namas-Tubhyam Paada-Sparsham Kssamasva-Me || Meaning: 1: (Oh Mother Earth) O Devi, You Who have the Ocean as Your Garments, and Mountains as Your Bosom, 2: O Consort of Lord Vishnu, Salutations to You; Please Forgive my Touch of the Feet (on Earth, which is Your Holy Body). We typically revere water as Ganga, basically trying to revere each and every natural thing apart from father, mother and teacher by seeing God in everything. It is ironic to think that people who don't take a bath daily or don't wash their hands and legs after going to the toilet want to teach Bharathia how to live. Thomas Babington Macaulay was considered primarily responsible for introducing the Western education system in India. He insisted on changing systems of continents and was able to do so within 20-40 years, irrespective of 800 years of the Mughals ruling, Bharath was hard to change. As such, Macaulay was sent to find out the source of the strength irrespective of their own Goa invasion. When researching in India, Macaulay realised that a person with Vedic knowledge is respected even if that person works as a cook or a servant. With this knowledge he realised the root cause of the Bharathia culture and how it it still surviving after so many invasions and attacks. He then tried to destroy Bharathia culture. They attempted to do this by saying they would be teaching samskritham but overnight closed thousands of Veda patashaalas. Slowly they started giving the choice of wearing western clothes or cultural clothes. It was then gradually enforced that everyone was to wear western clothes as well as removing bangles, kum kum etc. Where we went wrong is the place where we did not raise a wall around our people and protect ourselves physically/culturally. Krishna makes sure Arjuna does his duty without getting affected by his own confusion. Kutastva kashmala midam vishame samupasthitham | Anaarya jushta maswargyam akirti karamarjuna || "The Supreme Lord said: My dear Arjun, how has this delusion overcome you in this hour of peril? It is not befitting an honorable person. It leads not to the higher abodes, but to disgrace." (Mukundananda, 2022) In earlier days most regions had one key devasthana, Veda patashaala, punya shaala (charitable dispensary), dharma shalaas (to take care of pilgrimage or downtrodden people) as well as regular patashala's for all varnas who were given all types of education based on their skills. Regardless of beatings from Westerns this culture has not stopped in India but is still continuing due to contagious resistance of the people with God's Grace. Bharathia culture is typycally develop the base first and then develops outside similar to how a tree may have strong roots compared to its external structures. It is also more natural, for example not having to book an appointment to go see your parents, relatives or friends. In the film industry, prohita's sanyaasi's as well as teachers have their image tarnished and show them as having a bad status when wearing traditional clothes and show them as having a good status when wearing modern/western clothes. They also apply the same formula with respect to the character of the actors. Good people's calmness is taken for granted as weakness. The silence of good/helpful people is worse than the violence of bad people. Similarly, mudslinging should not be tolerated. When one derogates an individual person, we can forgive that person regardless of the situation, however when one derogates culture, the practices of the country, one should not tolerate it and appropriate legal responses need to be given back to those individuals. We are in a situation where we are calling Samskritham as Sanskrit and trying to read/write in English rather than Sanskrit. This is the situation we were pushed by Westerners which we need to reverse in the course of time. Our culture makes to keep everyone clean and maintain social distancing etc. which was not followed in other cultures. However, after the COVID-19 pandemic, everyone is trying to follow Bharathia culture, not only westerners but also easterners who missed to follow the guidelines from ancestors. Thinking about others and helping others, respecting elders etc. are key Bharatia culture traits. For example, Sri Rama going to the forest based on the word of his father as well as Sita following her husband without seeing any difficulty. On top of that Lakshamana, Hanuman helped Sri Rama without seeing their own difficulties. Sacrifice for a good cause is key to Bharathia culture which actually results in others' happiness and eventually giving happiness to the person who sacrifices. Bharatia culture not only highlights sacrifice but also happiness which could be related to doing Ekadashi one day and then Dwadashi the next day. Bhoga/Yoga are appropriately balanced to reach a blissful state in the course of time which is the goal of each and everyone in Bharathia culture. So many of our ancestors have left their own place, belongings etc to move out to escape from cultural changes. It is our duty to learn about our culture and try to pass this on to our future generation. We are recently seeing a U turn in this change but still a lot of work needs to be done so that everyone in Bharath can live amicably without any trouble. Let us try to learn our own Sanathana Darma practices, gain knowledge from our Bagavath Gita, Vedas, Ayurveda's, yoga etc which will not only make us live happily but also will help our future generation to go on the right path. We all Bharathia's need to be united out of our house irrespective of what work, practices we do inside our house. We need to take one step forward so that paramatma would take 100 steps with respect to time, money and any form of help towards uplifting the Bharathia culture." Yatra yogeśhvaraḥ kṛiṣhṇo yatra pārtho dhanur-dharaḥ tatra śhrīr vijayo bhūtir dhruvā nītir matir mama Wherever there is Shree Krishna, the Lord of all Yoga is revered , and wherever there is effort like the effort put by Arjun, the supreme archer, there will also certainly be unending opulence, victory, prosperity, and righteousness.
- Evolution of Artificial Intelligence
The previous article consisted of Artificial Intelligence and its relationship with machine learning and big data. It can be seen that this mainly consists of the variety of experiences that are used to train algorithms as well as building models which help to understand and perform actions that are considered to be intelligent. Malhotra in this first chapter of ‘Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Power’ also highlights the evolution of Artificial Intelligence devices and how these devices can be used to tell the difference between intelligence versus consciousness.’ It can be seen that in the last decade, the growth of technology, most importantly smartphones, is rapidly increasing and is significantly being used for largescale data collection. With various features attached to these smartphones, it is much easier to collect data through voice recordings, wireless networking as well as advanced censoring rather than large computers or laptops. Many social media companies have taken this opportunity to become dominant platforms which supply a wide range of services available. After the introduction and wide use of smartphones, companies started introducing wearable devices such as fitness tracking devices. These devices were more efficient in collecting accurate data with regards to a person’s physical performance. These slowly developed and were integrated into smartwatches such as Apple Watches. Technological companies have been able to gather these minute medical details that may rival other medical organisations. The next step in this development of technology showed the introduction of smart home technologies, for example Amazon’s Alexa which was the first device to overcome the first barrier to household penetration. These smart home technologies have allowed large companies such as Apple, Amazon and Google to make great investments with appliance manufacturers to capture a variety of data including voice, video as well as temperature etc. These smart home products with voiceactivated assistants and security systems are being powered by AI and have the power to monitor our lives much more deeply. With regards to data privacy issues, nobody has been fully aware of where this data is going and who is able to access it. Moving on from wearables, the technology industry is progressing to implants which work by fusing this into our body giving these machines a better understanding of how our bodies work and are able to monitor us emotionally and physiologically more accurately. In the near future, there is also a possibility that these types of implantations may become the norm for us with the data that is collected being much more invasive and intrusive. From products that are non-invasive to those that will soon be implanted, these devices allow for a more better user experience including virtual and augmented reality. Virtual reality systems allow to replace the whole real environment for a synthetic environment however, augmented reality systems do not change the overall surroundings but add certain virtual elements to assist in the so called ‘real world’. This next drastic revolution of Artifical Intelligence will soon be as significant as the shift from radio to television. Artifical Intelligence and Artificial Consciousness is vastly different one being that intelligence is the machine's ability to function in practical ways similar to or equivalent to how a human brain works. However, consciousness is not necessary for a machine to be intelligent. This difference between consciousness and unconsciousness in machines and humans have not stopped machines from doings tasks that humans are capable of. Such that, driverless cars will eventually dominate the automobile industry. This Artificial Intelligence and Consciousness can also be differentiated through the use of first, second and third person. Humans have all three qualities of first, second and third person however machines only seem to possess third and second person qualities as they do not have the requirement to acknowledge themselves as 'self'. Such sense of first person is therefore unnecessary for machines to efficiently complete their tasks. Natural intelligence can be explained using two different models referred to as the top-down model or bottom-up model. The top-down model follows the ides that a natural/creative force that made intelligent beings while the bottom-down model consists of the idea behind Charles Darwin theory of evolution by natural selection - the fact that intelligence emerged unconsciously. Hence, in the past decade, we have seen a great development in technology starting off with ordinary laptops and computers and building on towards technological transplants in the near future. AI can also be split up into virtual and augmented reality which have been helpful in assisting in various fields such as medicine,manufacturing, warehousing, education and of course consumer entertainment.
- Current Affairs
On December 31st the world's longest metro line was opened up in China's Shanghai Province holding its rank as the largest metro network across the globe. The "Quantum Laboratory" was recently established by the Indian Army in Madhya Pradesh which highlights its significant strides in the emerging technology domains. This field of technology will help to transform the current system of cryptography into the next generation communication. 5th generation Telecom services are set to roll out across selected cities in India in 2022. Some of these cities include Bangalore, Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai etc. This 5G service is designed to connect many types of devices than smartphones and offers high speed and capacity. Chinese researches have developed a machine which can charge people with crimes through the use of Artifical Intelligence. The AI prosecutor has the capacity to charge a file with more than 97 percent accuracy. For each suspect, the AI prosecutor will then observe a 1000 traits of that person obtained from a human generated case description test, The Indian government has decided to sign and agreement with Australia under which all passengers will be allowed to travel between both countries. This air bubble will consist of the Australian airline 'Quantas' to start flights between Sydney and New Delhi as well as New Delhi and Melbourne. In the coming days, Air India flights will most likely resume. On December 22nd, the US organisation regulators authorised the first pill against COVID-19. In order to head off the worse effects of COVID-19, people will be allowed to take this pill at home. Despite the new Omicron variant, this drug was still released and approved of as the rate of deaths and those hospitalised still continues to increase. On December 22nd, the US organisation regulators authorised the first pill against COVID-19. In order to head off the worse effects of COVID-19, people will be allowed to take this pill at home. Despite the new Omicron variant, this drug was still released and approved of as the rate of deaths and those hospitalised still continues to increase. On December 13th, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Kasi Vishwanath Corridor in Varanasi. This was a long pending dream for the Prime Minister for creating an accessible pathway between the Kashi Vishwanath Temple and the banks of the river Ganga. The project comprises of more than 40 ancient temples which are both restored and beautified. Spreading across 500,000 square metres of area, 23 new buildings were also built for providing diverse facilities to devotees. This holy Hindu Temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva, located in the Vishwanath Gali of Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. This stands on the western bank of the River Ganga and is among the twelve Jyotirlingas, the holiest of Shiva Temples. HSvj Foundation's e-magazine provides an in-depth analysis of various topics that are covered including Adhyatma, Philosophy as well as basic modern Hindu practices that should be followed on a daily basis. Each issue is bundled with fascinating articles which reiterate the importance of modern living through our experienced authors. The Bharath Bytes e-magazine is published and distributed electronically on a monthly basis. With a global focus for our younger generation, the e-magazine will carry analytical feature pieces on the significance behind Sanatana Dharma and fact-based fundamental knowledge. This e-magazine will be distributed across the globe. I would like to sign up for this Bharath Bytes E-magazine. TO SIGN UP, PLEASE DOWNLOAD FROM OUR WEBSITE PROVIDING YOUR NAME AND EMAIL ADDRESS. www.HSvjFoundation.com Privacy policy: Protecting your privacy is important to HSvj Foundation. Accessing this website and/or registering, you consent to your personal information being collected and maintained as per Privacy policy C R O S S W O R D - 3 WEST TO EAST 3. THIS IS ONE OF THE GREAT MANAGEMENT QUALITIES THAT HANUMAN HAS 8. GANDHARI SAID TO DHURYODHANA, "_________DHARMA TATRA JAYA NORTH TO SOUTH 1.THIS VICHAARA DEALS WITH MEANS TO ATTAIN MOKSHA 2.THIS IS DAILY ROUTINE OF INDIANS BUT NOW BOUNCES BACK FROM WESTERN AS BREATHING EXERCISES 5.SRI RAMA AND LAKSHMANA CAME TO THIS PARVAT IN SEARCH OF SITA EAST TO WEST 4.HOMEOPATHIC MEDICINE _________ THE DISEASE CAUSING AGENT 6.HUMAN BIRTH IS THE RESULT OF '________' SOUTH TO NORTH 7.HE IS A GREAT ASTROLOGER IN KING VIKRAMADITYA'S ASSEMBLY 9.RIGOROUS MONISM IS CALLED _____________















